


The Most Memorable Game

by madridistagoblue



Series: Seirin Week 2015 [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Married Life, NBA Kagami, Reminiscing, Seirin Week 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 11:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4346015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madridistagoblue/pseuds/madridistagoblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During an interview, a sports reporter asks Kagami Taiga what the most memorable game of his basketball career has been. Kagami has already won an NCAA championship and an NBA championship. So the answer he gives might be a bit surprising to some.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Memorable Game

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day Two of Seirin Week 2015 on Tumblr. The prompt for Day 2 was History/Memories.

"Tetsu…"

Kagami Taiga looked down at his side, where the small light-blue haired young man was nuzzled against his shoulder, eyelids fluttering between open and closed. The yellow fabric of last season's L.A. Lakers uniform was bunched around his fragile frame, hanging down to his knees like a dress. Taiga slipped a hand around Tetsuya's back, careful to move slowly so that Tetsu could continue using his side as a pillow. He set his hand where the number 10 was printed in bold white letters, just underneath where it read _Kagami_ in purple, and gently rolled his fingers along Tetsuya's spine, massaging soft, pale skin underneath the jersey. His fingers and his silver wedding band occasionally tangled with threads and imperfections that reminded Taiga just how many times Tetsu had run his jersey through the wash. Taiga smiled and used the hand on Tetsuya's back to shake him gently side-to-side.

"Wake up, Tetsu!" he said, forcefully. "It's getting to the best part."

Tetsuya let out a dull hum as he forced his eyes open and shifted his body to better face the TV while still leaning against his husband. "It's late, Taiga-kun," he replied.

"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to watch my interview," Taiga nagged him.  

"That would not be a problem if Taiga-kun remembered how to use the DVR." The insult left Tetsu's tongue with almost no vocal expression, causing Taiga's smile to turn into a scowl, just as it had for years.

"Shut up or you'll miss it," Taiga grumbled, taking his hand off Tetsu's back for a moment to give him a light thwack on the back of the head. He reached his other hand down to grab the remote control sitting on the coffee table and turned up the volume.

 _"So, Taiga,"_ the young female reporter on ESPN began the next question, " _you've had plenty of amazing games in your career, from winning an NCAA Championship with UCLA to an NBA Championship with the Lakers."_

The Taiga onscreen, dressed in loose-fitting workout clothes and standing confidently with his hands on his hips, looked down at her and nodded in agreement.

_"If you had to pick just one game, out of your entire basketball career, that you would say is your most memorable, what would it be?"_

Taiga looked up at the camera with a smile, a small chuckle escaping him before he cleared his throat and looked back down at the reporter.

 _"I can give you a minute, if you'd like,"_ she offered, _"I'm sure it's a hard decision with so much to choose from."_

 _"No,"_ Taiga replied immediately, _"I know exactly which game it is."_

 _"Ah, excellent!"_ she smiled.

 _"My first Winter Cup championship in high school,"_ Taiga answered, _"back in Japan."_

The reporter's eyes widened, her bright camera smile dimmed, and her eyebrows arched. _"Oh..._ ” she asked in surprise, then, quickly recovering, added: _"Was that your first major tournament win?"_

 _"Yes,"_ Taiga mused, his eyes no longer focused on the reporter, _"but it was more than just that._ _It was the first time I truly understood teamwork. My team, Seirin, gave me something to fight for. And Tetsu -- my husband, Tetsuya -- that's when I met him for the first time. We were teammates, in the same class. We had to face every member of the Generation of Miracles at some point during that tournament -- Daiki Aomine, Seijuurou Akashi, all the ones who are in the league now -- and we struggled at times. But, Tetsu…he never gave up. He always believed, even when it seemed impossible. It was amazing, and it taught me to always keep fighting -- for him; for them. Ever since then I've been a stronger player. I don't think I'd have my championship ring if not for that championship in High School."_

"Taiga-kun," Tetsuya called, snapping Taiga's attention away from the television. "You sometimes say such embarrassing things."

"Like you're one to talk!" Taiga growled, bringing his hand up to Tetsu's head once again, this time to ruffle his light blue hair.

***

The next morning, Tetsuya entered the kitchen to the smell of omelets and the sight of Taiga sitting at the table, attention consumed by a large and dusty binder. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head, causing Taiga's old jersey to ride up just enough to expose a peek at his thighs. His eyelids were half closed over unfocused blue eyes and gravity seemed to have no effect on the way his hair stuck up in every direction.

"Good morning, Taiga-kun," he said, quietly. He took a seat at the table next to Taiga and in front of a half of an omelet that had been cooked for him. He looked over at his husband, noticing the way Taiga's eyes were so focused on whatever he was looking at, a rare sight off the court. The omelet and a half still sitting on Taiga's plate had barely been touched.

"Morning," Taiga replied without tearing his eyes from the binder.

"What are you looking at?" Tetsuya asked, leaning his elbows onto the table and dipping his head down to see the contents of the binder. He caught a glimpse of yellowing newspaper clippings, pictures from magazines cut with uneven edges, and low-resolution photos, printed on glossy paper but likely captured on camera phones.

"It felt like time to pull this out again," was all Taiga said.

Tetsuya got off his chair and walked over behind his husband, looping his arms around Taiga's waist and positioning his head on Taiga's shoulder. His eyes immediately focused on a cutout from _Basketball Monthly_ \-- the spread of their Seirin team from first year. Hyuuga held the school's first ever Winter Cup trophy while the team smiled at the camera, each player decorated with his own medal, his own smile, confetti in his hair, and tears escaping his eyes.

"It was a great game," Taiga said, after they had stood there for a moment in silence. "A one point victory, obviously. And the first time I ever entered the true zone. But…it was more than that, I feel."

Tetsuya nodded in agreement and tightened his arms around Taiga for a moment.

Taiga turned the page backwards, revealing various pictures from the game. In one, Mitobe and Koganei sat at the edge of the bench, yelling towards the court with eyes closed, their arms around each other. In another, Hyuuga stood focused behind the three point arc during a one-on-one with Mibuchi Reo. A third pictured Izuki's decisive steal. And two photographs, in odd contrast with one another, showed players up against Akashi Seijuurou. In the picture of Furihata, Akashi's heterochromatic red and gold eyes could be seen clearly, while, in the second, with Kuroko, Akashi's eyes now matched.

"I almost forgot about what Akashi was like in this game," Taiga laughed. "It was so different when we met again, during the NCAA finals."

"I am absolute," Tetsuya said in a serious voice, soliciting a laugh out of Kagami.

"It seems we were always defeating Akashi for our championships," Kagami reminisced. "I wonder when we'll meet in the NBA finals."

"I'm sure it will be soon," Tetsu smiled.

 They studied the rest of the pictures quietly for a moment: Kiyoshi lifting Riko into the air after the win, while Hyuuga looked on with a clear blush on his face; and the two of them, Taiga and Tetsuya, sharing a fist-bump.

"It seems so long ago," Taiga said, tracing his hand over the picture they both appeared in, "and, yet, looking at these photos, I remember it all so clearly."

"When did you make this?" Tetsuya asked.

"I would collect old photos and newspaper clippings, and things from _Basketball Monthly_ , and stick them in here after each game," Taiga answered. He flipped the pages back in quick succession: Yosen, Kirisaki Daiichi, Shuutoku…. Suddenly, Tetsuya put his hand over Taiga's, bringing his progression to a stop.

"This is our game against Touou," Tetsu spoke softly, "not the one we won. The one from the Inter-High. We were crushed that day."

"I remember all too well," Taiga replied.

Taiga thought for a moment that Tetsu might ask why he had chosen to put pictures from the loss into his scrapbook, but his husband said nothing. Perhaps, it was because Tetsuya already understood.

"You didn't want to forget," Tetsuya said, voicing Taiga's thoughts.

"I don't want to forget any of it," Taiga confirmed. "The good or the bad. All of it caused me to work harder. I meant what I said on TV the other night -- that I wouldn't be an NBA champion without Seirin. Without you. Without the team we had back then."

"I know," Tetsuya replied, placing a soft kiss on Taiga's forehead, before releasing his husband and returning to his seat. "It's good to remember the past sometimes. Midorima-kun would say the past and the future are connected. I used to find it strange, but I think I understand what he means."

Taiga nodded. "Much as I hate to say it, he's right."

The room transitioned back into a comfortable silence as Tetsuya began eating his omelet and Taiga continued to flip through the book, before eventually setting it down and digging into his own breakfast.

"Taiga-kun," Tetsu finally said, his gentle voice overcoming the quiet.

"Yeah?" Taiga asked with his mouth full of omelet.

"I like that book," Tetsuya answered. "You shouldn't keep it hidden."

"I guess you're right," Taiga sighed. "It was just with all my old stuff, and I never really thought of taking it out until yesterday, I guess."

"Besides," he added, "photos or not -- the memories never leave us."

"I know, Taiga-kun," Tetsuya said with a small smile and a nod. "But it's better to keep them close."

Taiga smiled and pushed the binder in Tetsuya's direction.

"Here," he said. "How about you find a good place to keep it, Tetsu?"

Tetsuya smiled back and took the binder under his arm.

"To the memories to come?" Taiga asked, extending a clenched fist out to his husband.

Tetsuya nodded and bumped their fists together.


End file.
